Morez Johnson Jr. didn’t wait long to make Dallas look smart.
The Mavericks’ No. 9 overall pick came into the draft with the kind of label that sticks fast: a “reach’’ to some evaluators, especially with many projecting him closer to the middle of the first round. Dallas could have gone another direction, too, with some draft analysts expecting the team to target a big more closely tied to new head coach Dusty May.
Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara were both floated as better value. Instead, the Mavericks took Johnson, and Las Vegas has already given him a chance to answer for it.
So far, he’s done more than answer. He’s pushed the conversation.
Johnson exploded for a game-high 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting in his Summer League opener against Golden State, adding eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks while going head-to-head with Lendeborg, who was taken two picks later at No. 11.
He followed that with another strong outing before sitting out one game with illness. In his first two appearances, Johnson piled up 37 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, five steals and three assists.
Those numbers don’t belong to a rookie who looks overwhelmed. They belong to one who has already shown he can hang with NBA competition.
The scoring has grabbed the headlines because it was the biggest question surrounding him entering the draft, but the rest of his game has been just as convincing. Johnson attacks the glass through contact, switches across multiple positions and brings a steady motor every night. Summer League coach Joe Boylan praised his consistency and the confidence he gives the defense, and Ryan Nembhard said Johnson affects the game even when his shot isn’t dropping.
That’s where the comparison to Dereck Lively II starts to make sense.
Lively came into the league with real questions about his offense, but Dallas needed rim protection, rebounding and lob finishing - and he delivered all of it right away. He became one of the league’s most productive rookies and finished with All-Rookie Second Team honors, even though plenty of people thought he belonged on the First Team. His value came from the dirty work, the stuff that helps teams win before the scoring ever catches up.
Johnson looks built for that kind of path. He doesn’t have to be one of Dallas’ top scorers.
With Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg around him, his job is more about rim running, offensive rebounding and defending across the front line. That was the formula for Lively, and it earned him minutes fast.
An All-Rookie team is a real possibility for Johnson if he keeps this up. He doesn’t need to outshine Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa to get there. He just needs to finish among the league’s top 10 rookies, and his motor, defensive versatility and early trust from the coaching staff give him a clear shot.
The path to minutes won’t be handed to him, though. Dallas has a crowded frontcourt with P.J.
Washington, Daniel Gafford, Santi Aldama and Lively all in the mix, so Johnson will have to earn every inch of his role. Lively had to do the same as a rookie and forced his way into the rotation.
Reports that Lively has not yet been cleared to run as he recovers from foot surgery could open the door a little wider early on.
Summer League is only a slice of the picture, but Johnson’s best traits are the kind that travel. Energy.
Rebounding. Versatility.
If those hold up once the games count, Dallas won’t just have quieted the draft-night doubters. It may have landed another long-term frontcourt piece next to Flagg.
In Other News...
Mavericks May Be Learning Something Important About Sergio De Larrea
Sergio De Larreas Summer League run with the Mavericks has already given the staff a little bit of everything. After a mixed start, the rookie guard turned in his best showing in his third game, finishing with 16 points and 12 assists and giving Dallas a clearer look at what he can do when the pace picks up and the pressure starts to matter.
Joe Boylan has made it clear these games are less about the box score than the process, calling the stretch a fact-finding mission to see how players handle different roles and how the pieces fit together. For De Larrea, that means every possession is part of the evaluation, and the Mavericks are still sorting out just how much responsibility he can handle once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Risk Reopening Their Biggest Weakness With One Looming Decision
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Thompsons value is tied to more than reputation, too. He still had stretches last season when the shot looked like itself again, and that kind of spacing is hard to replace for a team that already has very little margin for error. If Dallas decides to move on, it risks turning a known weakness into something even harder to cover, especially when the alternatives do not offer the same kind of proven range. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Smiths Summer League Slide Raises A Troubling Mavericks Question
Tyler Smith entered Summer League as one of the more intriguing Dallas development pieces, but the early returns have not matched the expectations around him. The two-way forward was supposed to get a real chance to show he belonged in the mix, yet his minutes have been limited throughout the event and his production has been modest, leaving the Mavericks with more questions than answers as they sort through the edges of the roster.
Smiths last outing only added to the uncertainty, since he did not play against Memphis after logging just 28 total minutes across the previous two games. Dallas still has reason to remember the upside he flashed late last season, including a 20-point finish against Chicago, but Summer League is supposed to sharpen a players case, not cloud it, and Smith has left the team with a decision to make. [Read more 🡒]